A shocking incident at Wulidianzi School, in Huanren County of Liaoning Province, triggered great public outrage. This occurred when younger students were fed discarded older students’ food found stored in a bucket originally planned to be used for the school’s dogs. South China Morning Post (SCMP) workers said food remaining from older students was disposed into the bucket with an aim to take it back home for feeding their animals. However, the same food was later retrieved and served to younger students during their meal break.
Angered parents gathered at the school demanding accountability and seriously questioning what had happened. School Management wanted to let the parents look into surveillance from the canteen only on the proviso they not capture any video. A mom seeing the video said to report in the media how moving she felt: “The children crying all the time”. she also told headmaster, “You are too, a kid and have a kid. How you’ll feel if such stuff has to be given for this to eat?”
Social Media Outrage
The scandal quickly went viral on Chinese social media platforms with netizens condemning the unsafe and unethical practice. A user commented, “They are not our enemy. They are our kids, the future of our country. How do you dare to give them such food?” Another demanded strict penalties by asserting, “Both the school and the relevant staffers should receive a severe punishment. Violating food safety rules should come with an enormous cost.
Other users suggested that the school canteen surveillance system be connected to parents’ mobile phones so that they can keep a close eye on the food.
Action by Authorities
Local authorities responded to the backlash by announcing an investigation and setting up a special team to probe the matter. The incident has brought into the spotlight the food safety concerns in schools across the country.
Wider Food Safety Issues
Such cases involving food safety scandals in schools are quite frequent in China. Last year, a college in Jiangxi Province made headlines when a student discovered that they had received a meal with a mouse head. The school at first claimed that it was a duck head, and later further investigation proved otherwise; the “highest-level” punishment was meted to the school management. It is the Wulidianzi School incident which speaks of the long-persistent problems of food safety and accountability in schools, urging for stricter oversight and reforms.
